Deer Trail reduces number of categories in 2014

This year's Deer Trail Road Race will have fewer categories from 15 down to 10. Due to the fewer categories this race will no longer be a Cup race.

We are using the Masters Committee recommendation of starting masters at age 40+ to achieve this reduction in the starts. We also added a Men 4/5 & Women 3/4 Long group for those out there that want to race 58 miles.

While limiting the number of categories will likely reduce expenses, I'm not sure I follow the logic of limiting a category. For someone who is 35+ and doesnt want to race 1/2, there is no masters option. Making the category 35+ only increases the potential revenue without resulting in another category.

This has been discussed ad nauseam and as the original post indicated, there was a committee formed to study the various options for where to split the age groups. Get ready, next year it is supposed to become the norm for all races, even cup races.

Keep in mind, the only way to not increase the categories (from the current new plan) and allowing 35+ to race masters is to combine them with the 45+. Many of the older racers in the 45-54 group will tell you it's bad enough to now have to race 40 year olds. Making the 54 year olds race against 35 years olds is too much of an age differential for all but a very few racers.

Aside from the need to shorten the racing day, it's been shown that a great many of the 35-39 year old crowd can race against the 1/2 field quite competitively. For those that can't, maybe they should downgrade. It's hardly appropriate to mess up the race day experience for very large numbers of racers just so a small handful of baby-masters can race in the masters instead of racing in the seniors, regardless of category.

I think this is a good step in the right direction and I am glad to see them try it. I really hope their attendance is not going to get hurt by this. We need to get away from the riders who pick and chose their events based on their special group getting held. Just show up and race, support good races, and good promoters, whether they have the 47 plus, cat 3, no carbon wheels, with over 2 kids catagory or not.

then 55+/65+? Agree starting masters at 40 makes sense, but then doesn't it follow that there would also be 50+/60+ instead of 55+/65+? Not whining or bitching, just wondering about the 'logic' behind that.

Not sure, but I think that was not the case, because the idea was to do away with some categories, not just shift them up or down the age range. Going to a 15 year initial masters group accomplishes that.

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